Cambridge Blue
A Gary
Goodhew Mystery
Alison
Bruce
Soho Press (Hardcover)
ISBN-10: 1-56947-520-2 (1569475202)
ISBN-13: 978-1-56947-520-1 (9781569475201)
Publication Date: January 2009
List Price: $25.00
Synopsis (from the publisher): Gary Goodhew is intelligent, intuitive, and the youngest detective at Cambridge's Parkside Station. When Gary discovers the first body in a series of murders involving an eccentric Cambridge family, he gets his chance to work on a homicide investigation. He must use his own initiative to flush out the killer, even though it means risking his job and discovering the truth about the one person he hopes is innocent.
Review: Alison
Bruce introduces Gary Goodhew, recently promoted to Detective Constable
at the Cambridge Parkside Station, in Cambridge
Blue. He's bright, clever, perceptive, spontaneous, and only 25
years old. And now he's been assigned his first murder investigation.
When Lorna Spence, accounts payable officer for the exclusive Excelsior
Clinic, is found dead, her body dumped with the rubbish, Goodhew starts
his investigation by following the rules set down by his superiors. But
it soon becomes apparent that he is being lied to by everyone including
those closest to Lorna: her boss and lover, Richard Moran; his sister,
Alice; and her apparently only true friend, Victoria. Then Victoria is
found murdered, her face smashed against the concrete. The only thing
linking the two is a former classmate of Gary's. Next, news of a
missing girl, who everyone denies knowing, comes into the picture. Is
she a part of all this? Are these two deaths and the missing girl
somehow inexplicably related? Closing his eyes to the rules, Goodhew
intuitively sets out on his own to uncover the truth. In doing so, he
finds himself in a situation where he thinks he has all the answers to
the puzzling questions of this case, but they aren't the ones he -- or
anyone else -- expected them to be.
Cambridge Blue is a
promising start to this series. The plot, basically a police
procedural, has the requisite twists and turns, false leads and blind
alleys, but is able to maintain a steady, purposeful pace throughout.
Gary Goodhew is an engaging character, someone who's so sure about
himself and his abilities -- and then again, maybe not. His grandmother
is another delightful character, someone as interesting and as astute
as Gary, but with years of life experience that surely equates to
wisdom in many eyes. Together they bring a softness and sweetness to an
otherwise hard, callous world.
Special thanks to guest reviewer Betty of The Betz Review for contributing her review of Cambridge Blue and to Soho Press for providing an ARC of the book for this review.
Review Copyright © 2009 — Hidden Staircase Mystery Books — All Rights Reserved
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Mysteries in this series …
Cambridge Blue
Soho Press (Hardcover), January 2009
ISBN-10: 1-56947-520-2 (1569475202)
ISBN-13: 978-1-56947-520-1 (9781569475201)
Omnimystery keywords for Cambridge Blue ...
Location(s) referenced: Cambridge, England.
